grundigger
Well-Known Member
I regret creating this thread. Not referring to you, E-Stat.
Don't regret it. If you're like me you judge gear by how good it sounds to you. I'm looking forward to your listening impressions!I regret creating this thread. Not referring to you, E-Stat.
Thanks, I've been on the road, so I haven't been able to read and respond until now.
I'm well aware that the NAD DAC is mid-fi, but it's pretty good mid-fi. I have no illusions about it being in the same class as a better R-2R DAC like a higher end Schiit or Audio Note. I'm a fan of Non-Oversampling DACs, and of course the NAD isn't one of those. However, I'm a little annoyed that a similarly-priced CD player by the same manufacturer is essentially identical in sound. It's a fact; I accept it; I'm also annoyed. I'll probably get over it. BTW, I appreciate dissimarly-priced gear being compared. In my many years of playing with audio gear, I know price isn't always the best indicator regarding audio performance, and especially when your preference for certain flavors of sound or presentation is taken into account. But, yeah, more often than not, you do get what you pay for.
I've been playing 44.1 kHz/16 bit CDs exclusively; I also have a Thinkpad with Daphile installed that has hi-res files. But I prefer playing CDs.
I also agree with botrytis about analog implementation of DACs. The chips are important, but how well their power is regulated and rectified, in addition to how the output is handled is crucial. That's why I like Audio Note, at least in principle, since I haven't heard their DACs in person yet. But I have direct experience modifying class D and Tripath amps and I know a stiff power supply is important.
I'll probably order an Audio Note DAC 2.1 kit before the year is out.
Thanks for your thought-provoking answers!
Don't regret it. If you're like me you judge gear by how good it sounds to you. I'm looking forward to your listening impressions!
First, sorry you didn't get the results you were hoping for. Second though, good for you! Like me, you seem to have been at it long enough to have established your own personal baseline for your system. You know what sounds good, different or better. As others have noted, the DAC IC is often not the most important part of the chain. Like you, I don't care for upsampling - some folks like it as it does impart its own flavor to the sound. The filter used will sometimes have the biggest impact on how the DAC sounds. All kinds of nasties can develop from the filter. For some, it's a plus and others it's a negative. I still listen to a lot of CDs and half the time I use my old 16 bit DAC from the 90s. It just sounds "right" to me. I have a couple of newer DACs and one of them is probably the best (for me) that I've heard in years. The other is a bit pricey too, but for CDs, I just just don't like it. It was one of those "deals" I couldn't pass up. But long term, not such a good investment. So, price is not the last word on how well something will sound to YOU.
Hang in there and keep looking - you'll find it, though you may have to audition a dozen DACs to find it.
Merry Christmas
Sometimes, what we hear doesn't seem to make much sense. You can pay a lot of money for a piece of equipment, hoping to get a better sound. And yet blindfolded, you might not be able to identify the piece of equipment you just bought. But you pretend the investment was worth it.
Okay, what's the next step? Schiit Yggrasil? PS Audio DirectStream Junior? Holo Audio Spring DAC? Or?
The next step is to send me your money because I'm running out and there are still speakers I haven't tried yet. Bigger Maggies, for example
Your thread caught my eye because I was reading reviews of $3500 and $5000 DACs last night and wondering what I might be missing.
grundigger
I will be interested to hear your thoughts on the BP DAC as it is well reviewed plus the guys at LTA like it enough that they sell it along with their gear. As for your preamp, that is one well respected little piece. I've got a friend running it in front of Triode Corp. 845 mono's into SF Stradivari and he thinks it may be the best sounding he has had in his system including a CJ GAT. The system is fronted by a Lumin U1 and the Directstream DAC.
I have an old Assemblage DAC which is fed optically by my Yamaha CDP (has a Burr-Brown PCM5142 to produce analog). Both sources are plugged into my Mc 4300V receiver and can be A/B'd. There is a slight yet maddeningly distinct "presence" difference brought by the DAC. I would characterize it as a deeper, wider soundstage particularly in the mid frequencies. As I listen to a lot of vocal music, I prefer the DAC sound, but I am still searching for that elusive (expensive?) DAC which would really clear things up in an organic fashion .... i.e., more "musical". cheers everybody.
I recently bought the DAC 0.1x Dac and there is absolutely no noise whatsoever - I have extensive experience with their DACs and CD players and there is absolutely no audible noise. Noise can occur if there is a bad tube. My LM 215 has a small hum due to a tube which I will need to replace.Thanks, Mark. I can be a little hot-headed and over-sensitive at times. I go primarily by my direct experience and not by preconceived notions of how things ought to be. I used to do that, and I learned I was often wrong.
Opted for BorderPatrol DAC SE. Report forthcoming in a week or two.
I've been listening to the Border Patrol DAC for a couple of weeks now, and the first few CDs I heard sounded good--the CDs were nothing audiophile-oriented, so everything was noticeably "clearer" and pleasant. Then I put on Laurie Anderson's Big Science. Whoa! Talk about deep and expansive! There have been numerous other times when I felt the need to stop and listen more carefully, as I don't tend to listen to CDs as closely as I do to vinyl. I'm happy with the sound, to say the least.
I don't have my streaming stuff hooked up, so no comment on hi-res stuff.